Meghan Markle Recipes: 5 Dishes She Loves, From Cake To Roast Chicken

Some people show love with words. Meghan Markle seems to show it with food. Long before the cookbooks and the lifestyle shows, friends described her as the one who cooked for everyone — and the dishes linked to her keep telling the same story: simple, warm, homemade food meant to be shared. This guide brings together five Meghan Markle recipes that people search for again and again, from the lemon cake she shared with charity volunteers to the roast chicken that became part of royal history. Each one comes in a simple home version, written in plain steps, so you can make it in an ordinary kitchen with ordinary ingredients. Ready? Aprons on.

1. Lemon Olive Oil Cake — The Recipe She Shared

Of all the dishes in this guide, this is the documented one. In 2021, Meghan sent lemon olive oil cakes to volunteers at World Central Kitchen, the food charity founded by chef José Andrés, and a handwritten-style note went with them. The cake fitted her perfectly: bright, generous, and made to lift people’s spirits. A lemon olive oil cake is a lovely thing — soft, moist for days thanks to the oil, and full of fresh citrus flavour without being heavy. Here is a simple home version in that same spirit.

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 175ml good olive oil (light and fruity, not peppery)
• 120ml milk
• Zest of 2 lemons and 3 tbsp lemon juice
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and slightly thick, about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, then the milk, lemon zest and juice.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones until just mixed — do not overwork it.
6. Pour into the tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, turn out, and dust with icing sugar before serving.

2. Roast Chicken — The Night Everything Changed

It might be the most famous roast chicken in the world. In Meghan and Harry’s own retelling of their engagement story, she was roasting a chicken at home in November 2017 when Harry got down on one knee. She has often been described as a keen home cook who loves a proper roast, and it is easy to see why: a roast chicken is comfort, celebration and Sunday afternoon all on one plate. This version keeps things classic — lemon, garlic and herbs — the way a good home roast should be.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6kg
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 whole head of garlic, cut across the middle
• A handful of fresh thyme or rosemary
• 50g soft butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
• Plenty of salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, cut into thick wedges, for the tray

Method:

1. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes early. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
2. Rub the butter or oil all over the chicken and season it well, inside and out.
3. Push the lemon halves, garlic and most of the herbs inside the cavity. Tie the legs together with string if you have it.
4. Scatter the onion wedges in a roasting tray, sit the chicken on top, and add a splash of water to the tray.
5. Roast for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh.
6. Rest the chicken, covered loosely with foil, for 15 minutes. Carve and serve with the tray juices spooned over.

3. Banana Bread — The Bake She Carried To Dubbo

In October 2018, during the royal tour of Australia, Meghan reportedly arrived at a farm near Dubbo carrying a homemade banana bread she had baked herself, said to be finished with ginger and chocolate chips. The farmers were battling drought, and the simple gift of a homemade loaf said more than any speech. Banana bread is the friendliest bake there is — it uses up the bananas nobody wants, fills the house with a wonderful smell, and slices beautifully for days. This home version keeps her reported ginger-and-chocolate twist.

Ingredients:

• 3 very ripe bananas, plus 1 tsp ground ginger
• 200g plain flour and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 150g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs and 80ml melted butter or neutral oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
• 75g dark chocolate chips (optional but lovely)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan). Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.
2. Mash the bananas in a big bowl with a fork until mostly smooth.
3. Whisk in the sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla.
4. Fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt until just combined, then stir through the chocolate chips.
5. Pour into the tin and bake for 50–55 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out. Slice thickly — it is wonderful still warm.

4. One-Pan Pasta — The Skillet Trick From Her Show

On her Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, one dish summed up her relaxed way of cooking: spaghetti made in a single skillet, where the pasta cooks right there in the pan with tomatoes and greens, making its own silky sauce. No draining, no mountain of washing up. It is weeknight cooking at its smartest, and once you try it, plain boiled pasta feels like hard work. This is a simple home version of that single-skillet idea.

Ingredients:

• 300g spaghetti
• 400g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• About 900ml hot water, plus salt
• 2 big handfuls of chopped chard, kale or spinach
• Grated parmesan and lemon zest, to finish

Method:

1. Choose a wide, deep frying pan or skillet with a lid. Lay the dry spaghetti in it in one layer.
2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, chilli and a good pinch of salt, then pour over the hot water.
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 9–10 minutes, turning the pasta often with tongs so it cooks evenly and does not stick.
4. When the pasta is nearly tender and the water has turned into a glossy sauce, stir in the greens and let them wilt for 1–2 minutes.
5. Taste, adjust the salt, and finish with parmesan and lemon zest.
6. Serve straight from the pan at the table — that is the whole point of it.

5. Green Goddess Salad — Fresh, Green And Full Of Herbs

This last one is an inspired dish rather than an official recipe: a crunchy chopped green salad with a herby green dressing, in the fresh, garden-first style Meghan is associated with through her lifestyle content. Everything is chopped small, the dressing is bright with lemon and herbs, and it goes with almost anything — roast chicken from this very guide included. It is the kind of bowl that makes you feel good just looking at it.

Ingredients:

• Half a small green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 cucumber, diced small, and 4 spring onions, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• For the dressing: a big handful each of basil and parsley (or coriander)
• Juice of 1 lemon, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 small garlic clove
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt or a spoon of tahini, plus salt and pepper

Method:

1. Put the cabbage, cucumber and spring onions into a big serving bowl.
2. Blitz the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and vivid green. Add a splash of cold water if it is too thick.
3. Pour most of the dressing over the chopped vegetables and toss well with your hands or two spoons.
4. Fold in the avocado gently so it does not turn to mush.
5. Taste for salt and lemon, add the last of the dressing, and serve at once while everything is crisp.

Why These Recipes Suit Real Life

Look at the five dishes together and a pattern appears. None of them needs rare equipment or a chef’s training. The cake keeps for days, the chicken feeds a family and leaves leftovers, the banana bread rescues fruit that was headed for the bin, the pasta saves washing up, and the salad turns simple greens into something special. That is the real lesson of Meghan Markle recipes: cooking that fits around a busy life, food that gathers people, and flavours that stay fresh and bright. Start with whichever dish made you hungry first — most people start with the cake.

Key Takeaways

• The lemon olive oil cake is the documented recipe Meghan shared with World Central Kitchen volunteers in 2021.
• Meghan was roasting a chicken the night Prince Harry proposed, in the couple’s own retelling of the story.
• She reportedly baked banana bread — with ginger and chocolate chips — during the 2018 Dubbo visit in Australia.
• The one-pan pasta follows the single-skillet spaghetti shown on her Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
• The green goddess salad is an inspired dish in her fresh, herby style — not an official recipe of hers.
• Every version here is written in simple steps for a home kitchen, with everyday ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Which of these Meghan Markle recipes did she actually share herself?
A: The lemon olive oil cake is the documented one — she shared it with World Central Kitchen volunteers in 2021. The others are dishes she is known to love or has been seen making, written here as simple home versions.

Q: What is the story behind Meghan Markle’s roast chicken?
A: In Meghan and Harry’s own retelling, she was roasting a chicken at home in November 2017 when he proposed to her — which is why this simple dish became one of the most famous parts of their story.

Q: Can I swap ingredients in these recipes?
A: Yes. Use gluten-free flour in the cake and banana bread if you need to, swap the yogurt in the salad dressing for tahini to keep it dairy-free, and leave the cheese off the pasta for a vegan version. The methods stay the same.

Q: Which recipe should a beginner try first?
A: The banana bread. It is a one-bowl mix, very forgiving, and almost impossible to get wrong — and the lemon olive oil cake is a close second.

Read More: Meghan Markle Teases Shocking As Ever Holiday Magic In Cosy Video